The disciples knew that Jesus was the Light of the world; he had told them so. They had seen in his life, words, and miracles, a glimpse of the glory of God. It was as if they were looking at a lamp with its light shaded from view, sort of like this lamp. (Show lamp with shade.) When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, it’s as if the shade was taken away and the disciples could see the true brightness of God’s glory.

Do we always have to be able to see things in order to believe they exist? What are some things that we can’t see but still know are there? (Let kids share their thoughts.) We can’t see the air all around us, but when the wind is blowing, we can feel the air, or we can see the things it moves. (Use fan to illustrate air movement—maybe letting it move a scrap of paper.) We can’t see sound waves, but when we hear a loud noise (use whistle to illustrate sound), we know that sound is real. We can’t see the love that our parents and friends have for us, but we feel their hugs and hear their loving words, and we know that their love is real.

When Jesus went up into heaven, his disciples were watching. They watched him disappear into a cloud and then they all just stood there, looking up, staring at the sky, until two angels appeared and told them that Jesus would come back some day. The disciples were probably very sad to see Jesus go, and I’m sure they couldn’t help standing there, staring for a while. Do you think they were supposed to just stay there, looking up, waiting for Jesus to come back? No, there was plenty to do while they waited for Jesus to return. The world was waiting to hear the good news, that Jesus was alive!

The disciples had already been told by the two Marys who saw the empty tomb and the angels that Jesus wasn’t dead; he was alive, but they still didn’t believe it. They were walking to a town called Emmaus, sadly talking about how Jesus had died, when Jesus himself came walking right up alongside them and asked them what they were discussing. Did they recognize Jesus then? No! Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever not recognized someone that you know really well . . . maybe at Halloween, or at a costume party? (Wait for answers.) Well, Jesus wasn’t in disguise, and they still didn’t recognize him!

Preparation: Bring a bouquet of colorful spring flowers and a vase in which to place them on the altar or at the foot of the cross.

Happy Easter everyone! Do you know the words to the Easter greeting that has been used in the Christian church for almost two thousand years? When I say to you, “The Lord is risen!” you answer back, “He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!”

The Gospel lesson for today talks about a group of people called Sadducees. Sadducees were Jews who believed that there was no life after death. Is that the same as what we believe? (Let children answer.) No. We know that God is preparing a place for us in heaven; and when we die, we go to be with Jesus. It’s easy to remember the Sadducees and what they believe, because their name describes how they must feel. It would be very sad to think that there is no life after death. So the Sadducees are very sad, you see—Sadducee!

Do you think Jesus wants us to think it’s bad to be rich? (Let children answer.) Some people think the Bible says that money is the root of all evil, but it doesn’t say that. It says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It is hard to love God if riches are very, very important to you, because the money and things you can buy take up so much of your love. Can you take your toys or clothes or cars with you to heaven? (Kids respond.) In the end, those things aren’t very important, are they? It’s more important to be with God.

Is there any way that any of us could make this little bug live again? Can we bring this bug back to life? (Let children comment.) No, this isn’t something anybody on Earth can do. We aren’t stronger than death. In reading the Bible, we learn about two sons who died. One son lived back in the time of Elijah the prophet, and the other lived while Jesus was walking around on Earth. Both of these boys were their mothers’ only children. And both of the mothers were widows—their husbands had died. These mothers and sons had only each other in the world. When their sons died, the mothers had no one left. The pain of losing their only children was causing the mothers’ hearts to break.

The chrysalis is a little bit like the tomb where Jesus was buried. When Jesus was laid in that tomb and the big stone was rolled in front of the entrance, everyone thought that was the last they’d see of Jesus. No one expected life to come out of that place of death. But after three days, God raised Jesus to new life. A transformed Jesus came out of that tomb, more alive than he had ever been before.